JAPANESE JUDICIAL REFORMS AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN RURAL AREAS

Recent Japanese judicial reforms were meant to transform rule-of-law rhetoric into practice. One obstacle that has been overlooked, however, is the inadequate access to lawyers in rural Japan. Approximately one-fifth of judicial (sub) districts have one or no lawyer. To achieve access to justice, it is important to provide legal services to rural areas as well as urban areas.

Masayuki Sakaniwa, Associate Judge, Tokyo District Court & International Legal Studies Fellow, will discuss the following issues: (1) the uneven geographical distribution of lawyers; (2) measures taken to resolve this problem; and (3) the reason the small legal population in rural Japan does not receive proper attention. Finally, he will discuss his proposal to conduct a legal needs assessment to examine the reality of the legal problems facing rural residents in Japan.

Sponsored by the CENTER FOR EAST ASIAN STUDIES